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Ron Phillips, President of CEI,
speaks on public television’s
"Conversations with Maine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to Coastal Enterprises, Inc.

OUR MISSION: To help create economically and environmentally healthy communities in which all people, especially those with low incomes, can reach their full potential.
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CEI is a private, nonprofit Community Development Corporation (CDC) and Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) with roots in the civil rights movement.  Founded in 1977, the organization provides financing and support in the development of job-creating small businesses, natural resources industries, community facilities, and affordable housing.  CEI's primary market is Maine, but, in recent years, has expanded several of its financing programs to northern New England, upstate New York and beyond. CEI applies Triple Bottom Line of economy, equity and ecology criteria in its investment and development strategies.

CEI offers:

 Financing

» Small, medium and microbusiness, natural resource industries, community facilities, affordable housing, and mixed-use commercial real estate

» Venture Capital

» New Market Tax Credits

» SBA 504 Loans

» Working Waterfront

Development Services

» Housing Counseling

» Business Counseling

» Workforce Solutions

» Farms for the Future 

 

 

CEI IN THE NEWS!

U.S. Finance Expert Encourages Banking Investment in Maine Communities
At CEI's 32nd Annual Meeting, Ellen Seidman, Exec. VP of ShoreBank in Chicago, and Sr. Research Fellow with the New America Foundation in Washington, DC, urged Maine bankers and community activists to consider “greater community investment…meeting the actual needs of the community, not just counting dollars invested.” See full speech.

See annual meeting remarks by Ron Phillips, CEO, on triple bottom line investing and the next 5 years for CEI…

See the 12/14/09 article on CEI and the state of investing in communities. It’s where mission happens…

CEI Receives $125 Million in NMTC  Through its subsidiary, CEI Capital Management LLC, CEI will use the allocation to attract private capital investments for primarily rural economic development projects. See press release here.

CEI Receives Investment Funds
In partnership with Manufacturers Association of Maine, CEI will receive $765,000 over from the Federal Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Community Services (OCS), to finance several job-generating small-to-medium enterprises. This funding will create 78 full-time, year-round jobs.  Read press release here. 

Bangor Savings Bank and CEI offer low-interest loans to small and medium-sized enterprises in disadvantaged areas in Maine. Read more here.

CURRENT POLICY INITIATIVES

» CEI advocates for people and places left out of the economic mainstream.


CEI REPORTS

»CEI's annual reports

CEI's impact stats and other reports:

»Evaluation of the Farms for the Future Program

» Measuring Impact in Practice

»Low-Income Longitudinal Study

36 Water Street, PO Box 268, Wiscasset, ME 04578; Telephone: 207/882-7552; FAX: 207/882-7308; E-mail: cei@ceimaine.org